AUS Television: City Homicide, Episode 4.12 "Tomato Can"

City Homicide
Season Four, Episode Twelve, Tomato Can
Original Air Date:  September 22, 2010

Curtis "The Kid" Conlon is killed in the boxing ring but the death wasn't an accident, it was murder as he had been drugged.  The suspects are all blaming everyone else, as usual and the list takes them to everyone from a bookie to Conlon's opponent in the ring.  Matt Ryan returns with a new rank.

Matt is back this week!  Not only is he back but he's now Detective Sergeant Matt Ryan.  He's got a lot to get used to.  Emma is gone, having moved to France for her new job.  Matt's new position as Detective Sergeant is something he's always wanted.  He is approaching his new rank with the same vigor he always had as a detective but he seems a bit uncomfortable at the same time.  He's used to taking orders and working the cases rather than giving orders and organizing the team.  On more than one occasion Jarvis has to spur him on to push the team.  On advice from Stanley Wolfe, Matt knows now that his relationship with his mates and colleagues has to change.  There's a lot our Matt has to deal with now!

Thanks to Rhys breaking the "code" in the bookies notebook (it isn't code at all but American shorthand), Matt and Duncan are led to Desiree Spalding, the best friend of Conlon's wife.  She placed a $10,000 bet for her boyfriend, fight promoter Wayne Stiles.  Stiles claims the bet was organized with Conlon's cooperation and that Conlon would even place bets himself.  This was the 'big break' that turned the tide of the case.

One of Conlon's best mates and fellow fighters, and also one of the suspects, drops the bombshell on the team that Conlon was gay.  This new piece of information changes the suspect pool and the tactics the team uses to find the murderer.  Curtis' wife knew his secret but his father did not.  Neither did Wayne Stiles.  Curtis and his wife had a deal:  she'd play the part of his happy wife and he would give her a child.

When Mick Conlon, Curtis' father is killed by Laura Conlon everything changes.  She claims Mick tried to attack her and she killed him by accident.  Duncan, Matt and Jarvis are able to easily tear her story apart.  Turns out, she murdered her husband because he was wanting to finally come out and live the life he wanted to live.  She didn't want him to shame her and the baby.

I'm very happy to see Matt back.  He adds something special to the team and the show.  It will be interesting to see how his relationships with his colleagues and mates change.  Matt looked so sad when he was sitting alone in his office after Duncan had left for the pub.  I know things will have to change because of Matt's new rank but I hope the changes don't end up leaving Matt on the outside looking in.

Next week's show looks great and will focus on Rhys.  I'm looking forward to that as it will give me a good chance to really get to know him better.  Thus far, he has kind of been in the background.

For more information:
City Homicide Official Site:  http://au.tv.yahoo.com/city-homicide/
Internet Movie Database:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024932/
TV Rage:  http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-17228